Growing up on a beef cattle property in tropical Australia,Dr.Blaze and her family were a long distance from a veterinary clinic. As such, animals that fell ill had to be treated on-site, which helped to develop an interest in veterinary science. After earning aBVScfrom the University of Queensland, Australia,Dr.Blaze went on to Duke University and, later, San Diego State University for aPhDand anMBA, respectively. She was drawn to the Northeast and a position at Tufts providedthe perfect mix for me of teaching, research and service,she says.

Highlights ofDr.Blaze's career include anesthetizing five ostriches for intra-abdominal surgery in one day at a zoo and anesthetizing five tigers in a day for dentistry at another zoo. In addition to the interesting caseload at Tufts, she enjoys working with students to help them develop skills so they can become confident with anesthesia. "I love to see them graduate ready to put their training to good use,"she says.

The winner of several awards,Dr.Blaze was most recently presented with the MVMA's most prestigious award, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2013. She is also the recipient of the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award from Tufts in 2008. She has volunteered on local building projects with Habitat for Humanity and enjoys travel, carpentry projects, and gardening with her husband, as well as cycling and taking her cat, Arthur, out for walks when he wears his harness and leash.